Gov. Beverly Perdue has issued 11 executive orders so far:

1. Campaign endowment. Creates a task force to develop a public endowment for gubernatorial campaigns. Jan. 12.

2. Transportation board. Reforms the board of transportation by improving its ethics policy and requiring more professional approval. Jan. 12.

3. Accountability. Orders review of state government programs. Jan. 12.

4. N.C. OpenBook. Creates online database of state contracts and grants. Jan. 12.

5. Budget commission. Creates a panel to recommend ways to cut the state budget. Jan. 12.

6. Cut spending. Orders state to reduce spending and cut off capital projects in order to keep budget in the black. Jan. 13.

7. State of emergency. Declares state of emergency over winter storm. Jan. 20.

8. End emergency. Ends state of emergency. Jan. 21.

9. EMS Rules. Makes permanent rules about emergency medical and trauma services. March 3.

10. State health council. Requires members to disclose conflicts of interest. March 3.

11. Furloughs. Cuts teacher pay by a half percent for 2008 fiscal year in exchange for 10 hours of leave. April 28.

A group of doctors has sued North Carolina.

The lawsuit is targeted at the State Health Coordinating Council, a 27-member panel that determines the rules by which hospitals can add operating rooms and buy expensive new diagnostic tools.

Members are appointed by the governor and work in the health care industries, but they are exempt from the state's ethics rules, which guide hundreds of other commissions.

Jeff Horton, acting director of the Division of State Health Regulation, said the rules don't apply to the council because it is made up of volunteers and its decisions are non-binding. He argued that members with conflicts of interest recuse themselves.

But the doctors argue in their lawsuit that the exemption gives the public no assurances that decisions are "not arbitrary, unreasoned or affected by the self-interest of its members." (N&O)